Users in various fields, for instance, the transport and logistics sector, the postal sector, the government, the financial sector, or the retail sector, rely on a varied set of documents for daily functions. A single document such as a driver's license, a passport, a bill of lading form, or a shipping receipt may include various kinds of information. For example, a driver's license includes a photo section; one or more text sections with the driver's name, address, and features, such as height, weight, and hair color; and a graphics section with the driver's signature. Information may be captured from these documents with a mobile device and presented to a remote processor for further analysis and processing. The remote processor may thereafter send the processed information to a user application operating on the mobile device or operating on a remote device. The user application may then use the processed information to provide application specific information to a user operating the mobile device.
Mobile devices, such as, smart phones, tablets, and personal digital assistants now include increased processing power. For instance, similar to a personal computer or laptop, current mobile devices may include one or more processors for executing operating code and user applications, expanded memory for storing data and operating instructions, and one or more communication ports for connecting a mobile device to external devices. Therefore, the process where information captured on the mobile device is sent to a remote processor for further processing before that information is presented to the user is likely to increase the time and processing cost associated with retrieving, transcribing, and processing the information captured on the mobile device. In addition, sending captured information from the mobile device to the remote processor may hinder or eliminate real-time user interaction and/or feedback.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for capturing and processing content from documents on a mobile device.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.